Donald Trump's frequent golfing trips have cost US taxpayers at least $101.2 million in just over 14 months of his second term, according to analysis by HuffPost. This figure already amounts to around two-thirds of the total cost of his golf-related spending during his entire first term.
The 110 days Trump has spent playing golf since his inauguration represent more than a quarter of his time in office. His latest visit to his West Palm Beach course on Saturday marked his 56th trip there and his 110th day of golf overall.
The high costs are driven by the logistical operation required, including Air Force One flights, transport planes and large security teams. Each visit to Mar-a-Lago costs about $3.4 million due to the need to secure the Atlantic coast and the Intracoastal Waterway, with armed boats and a Coast Guard vessel deployed.
Trips to other Trump properties are cheaper but still costly: Bedminster in New Jersey costs around $1.1 million per visit, while his Doral resort in Florida costs about $2.7 million. The most expensive trip so far was a visit to his Scottish resorts last summer, which cost $9.7 million.
Jordan Libowitz of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington criticised the spending, saying: 'At a time when gas prices are spiking and Americans across the country find themselves in an ever-worsening affordability crisis, the president has burned through over $100 million in taxpayer money in order to make promotional appearances at his golf courses and hobnob with millionaires and billionaires.' Trump had previously criticised Barack Obama and Joe Biden for their golf habits and travel costs.
